Proposal

Disclaimer:

Harry Potter and its world belong to J. K Rowling. I only own the original characters I made.

"Dialogue"

'Thoughts'

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"Unexpectedly sweet." Robert commented on the taste of the lemon drops. The lemon taste wasn't overpowering either. Such a delightful and refreshing flavor. Indeed the best candy for the hot weather outside. Only some cooled down beverage would beat it. Dumbledore hummed in agreement towards Robert's words. The headmaster is an avid connoisseur of sweets. The passwords for his office are just a small sneak peak into his passion for them.

"I find them comforting after an honest day of work, Mr Crow." Said the headmaster after taking a drop himself. Both men entered a blissful state of appreciation. The headmaster took out his wand. It was black and had multiple lumps on its body. A parchment was tossed from the desk and with a single flick of the wand it started to change. A brand new chair appeared in the room. It was also red and had many embellishments ingraved into it. Robert stood in awe. For the first time he saw real unfettered magic. The headmaster chuckled at Robert's antics and waved his hand asking the young man to sit down. Robert stepped up to the chair marveling it with his gaze. He touched the wood finding it hard to the touch. The lionheads on the armrests were truly beautiful and so lifelike. It's incredible what magic can achieve with so little effort noticed. Robert sat down and glanced with respect written in his eyes towards the elderly wizard. Nonetheless the pleasantries had to come to an end.

"Mr Crow, it seems we have quite the situation on our hands. Frankly, I find it very interesting how you eluded us for all these years." Dumbledore pointed out the bizarreness of the situation at hand.

"Eluded? Professor, today was the first day I found out that I'm able to do magic." Robert said with an serious expression. Dumbledore couldn't see an ounce of deception on Robert's face. Truly an interesting turn of events.

"How curious indeed. Nevertheless, since the letter found you, that means you have the right to learn at Hogwarts." The headmaster said. Robert took out his letter and showed it to him. Dumbledore grasped the letter and briefly studied it. After a few glances here and there the professor couldn't find any signs of tempering. It seems that the young man didn't lie.

"However, there's still a conundrum Mr. Crow. And unfortunately it has to do with your age." Dumbledore said with some gravity in his voice.

"Why my age, sir? Is it because at 18 I won't be able to use properly my magic? Or that my magic is going to be hindered by some kind of block?" Robert asked with uncertainty and realized that maybe everything's for naught.

"Not quite my boy." Dumbledore said with a relaxing tone. "Magic is so mysterious in it's ways that even age cannot limit it's potential. Truly a fickle teacher in life I would say." He said wistfully.

"Then what is it then, professor?" Robert said with some underlying impatience. He was finding out the hard way how the headmaster liked to keep people in suspense. Is it whimsical or just a manner of age? Or maybe it's both.

"Ah yes it's both." The headmaster said with twinkling eyes.

'Dammit. He's reading my mind...or am I just that obvious.' Robert thought with trepidation.

"It's the latter I ensure you." Dumbledore said with a little bit of mirth. It seems that Robert is not getting a break soon from this. He really needs to stop or he'll be eaten alive by these oldies.

"Coming back to the subject at hand. From what I see you're 18 years old and that makes you an adult. And that raises a couple of concerns. Some easier to solve than others. The most mundane one of them is of financial nature. Unfortunately you neither qualify for the scholarship given to muggleborn nor for orphans. So you'll have to cover the expenses by yourself." Said the headmaster.

Unsurprisingly air left Robert and suddenly he felt so small. Thankfully he was sitting down so he didn't lose his balance. Is this the end of the line for him? Money is a major concern now since he can't actually try to find a good paying job. After all he has no documentation on hand. What will he do? Maybe there is a chance. Hopefully they'll accommodate him somehow.

"Perhaps professor, you have an answer which will leave both of us satisfied?" Robert said with uncertainty in his voice.

"It depends on which road you're willing to take Mr Crow. The quickest way would be heading to Gringotts and taking a loan from the goblins. However, I wouldn't want to think of the repercussions of not timely payments. And the rates are never favorable to any wizard." The headmaster said with some melancholy. Probably there's a history there.

"And the other options, sir?" Robert asked while saving the information about goblins for later.

"Well this option interestingly is also a solution for the other concern I have mentioned before. Namely, because you're an adult and parents might not be happy with your presence in the dorms with their children." The headmaster said.

"So where would I be staying during the school year, professor?" Robert asked

"Fortunately there are many rooms to choose from so we'll leave that decision for last. Now I have a proposition for your monetary problems Mr Crow. Would you like to be hired as an aide? The headmaster asked with eyes twinkling madly.